Fake Princess
CCCXIV Chapter
The words of Haruki and Izumi while scolding me this afternoon were still ringing in my head, I sat down as I reached for the wooden box containing the ring given by Queen Alelah. I opened the wooden box as I put on a ring that was left there to my finger.
I put my body back on the bed, my eyes blinked a few times and quickly tried to resist sleepiness. Full moon... How many days until the full moon appears.
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"Am I not allowed to attend the ceremony?" I said to Callia who was cleaning up all the gifts from Queen Alelah for me.
"Only men should do it. That too, if they manage to do so," Callia said as she stuffed a cloth into the leather bag that I would carry.
"When the moon is full, the four of them will pass through a cave. In the cave, they will be faced with their greatest fear. If they manage to do it, they'll get out of there alive" he said back to me.
"You guys, didn't say this before... What if they don't make it, will they..."
"They will lose their identity, and all their memories during life. They can come out, but they can't remember anything" Callia said, cutting me off.
"Is there no other way?"
"If there is, I will choose that way" I said back to him.
"Unfortunately, I don't know anything else about it. The queen, just told us what I said before," he said as he stood up from the bed.
"They, what about them? Do they know this?"
"They knew and agreed to it directly when the Queen explained what risks they might face..."
"So Sachi, come with me! I will take you to the beach" he said, lifting a leather bag that he filled with a lot of stuff earlier.
"At least, I want to meet them first before leaving," I said as I stood looking at her.
"The ceremony may have begun, you can't see them. Hurry up, or we'll run out of time" Callia said, walking up to the door and opening it.
I followed her, Callia took me down the hallway of the Palace then down the long stairs with a large gate in front of her. The big gate had opened, Callia was speeding up as we passed through the gate.
"Wait for Callia, do we really have to run?" I said moving my legs trying to run after him.
"Leaving this place, like something very taboo. To leave this place is to be considered a traitor... You must know what punishment a traitor deserves. Therefore, hurry up Sachi... If not, we'll be in danger" he said, the faster he ran.
My legs ran fast through the forest, Callia who ran in front of me repeatedly directed her head to look at the full moon which was at that time shining reddish. Callia pointed her palm back, grasping it with her wrist very firmly by it.
"Through here" he said, pulling my hand in his footsteps.
The atmosphere around suddenly darkened, the moonlight that had previously illuminated the path... Now it's gone like swallowed by the earth. There was a sound of tongue-pounding several times, the speech I thought came from Callia.
My head moved to the right and to the left alternately as the sound of deafening animal howls rang out. I turned my head back as my ears again heard the sound of dry leaves being stepped on by something...
"It's okay, they're the guards of this place" Callia said softly.
I moved to the side as both of my eyes fell on a pair of yellow eyes that were shining in the darkness. The pair of eyes moved closer followed by the sound of a crack like the breaking of tree branches.
Callia clasped my hand, holding my body back from moving away from her. The pair of eyes turned their eyes back to us, and I felt the slow pull on my hand that Callia did.
Slowly we walked through the darkness around, I gave both my hands to touch Callia's shoulders as my feet continued to walk with the sound of animal snoring slowly heard.
The snoring sound was replaced with a strong water sound, the more we walked forward... The clearer the sound of water. I looked back, as though a large two-tailed wolf had stood looking at us.
"Sachi, I can only take you here. Furthermore, you just have to walk straight, there are a lot of unused boats. You can use those boats to get out of here" Callia said as I felt my palm placed something.
"I understand, thank you," I said grasping the rope-like thing in my hand.
I stepped forward following the sound of the water increasingly filling my hearing. My legs were getting faster as I stared at the sand in front. The blue sea that was in front seemed to sparkle with bright sunlight.
The afternoon? Isn't it night? Or the... I don't know, it doesn't matter now... How are the four of them?
I held the sand beside me and then I took it back from my grasp, I took it and I grasped the sand and then I released it back from my grasp. I did that over and over again as my head bowed hiding on the sidelines of my two bent legs.
They have not returned, my mind is confused about all the bad events that might happen to them. I looked up at the sky, not even the clouds were visible at all as far as the eyes could see.
Haru-nii, Izu-nii, Zeki, Aydin. Please, you guys should be fine no matter what.
I turned back, I looked at Izumi, followed by Haruki, Aydin and Zeki out of a small hole in a mound under a two-branched coconut tree. I stood up as I moved my feet closer to them...
"Haru-nii," I said touching her shoulder as she stood bowed back to her back.
"Who are you?" He looked at me with an expression like someone who was confused.
"Izu nii-chan," I said with a trembling voice turned towards her.
"Do I know you?"
"Ze..." My words stopped when I looked at Zeki who was coming to look at me like someone he did not know.
"Aydin."
"Don't touch me" he said, pointing his palm forward as I tried to grab his hand.
"Did you remember nothing at all?"
"Nii-chan, I'm Sachi. I'm your little sister," I said staring at Haruki and Izumi alternately, letting my hand grab Haruki's arm and grasping her tightly.
"Sister? Tell me, do I know you?" Haruki's voice turned her gaze to Izumi.
"I should ask, do I know you?" Izumi returned Haruki's gaze.
"Zeki, did you really forget me too?" I looked away at him.
"I don't understand what you mean?" His voice turned to move his feet away.
I bowed silently as Haruki clasped my hand, I let go of the grip of my hand on his arm as he released also the grip of his hand on me. Haruki, and Izumi just walked past me...
"I hate this, I hate this," I cried as I lifted up the palms covering my face.
"If I knew, it would be like this. I won't let them come... What, I'm going to tell Dad," I said as I moved my palm before wiping my eyes.
"Sa-chan," Haruki's voice twitched, I turned to look at her who had been standing looking at me.
"Nii-chan, you called me Sa-chan, didn't you?" As I walked up to him, he nodded back at my question.
"You haven't forgotten me, have you?" Hugging her body, I buried my head deep on her shoulders.
"Of course not, I'm just pretending" he said, rubbing both of my eyes with his palms.
"Izu nii-chan," I turned my gaze to look at him.
"I'm just following the game of those who are eager to tease you" said Izumi with one hand scratching the back of her head.
"My tiredness instantly diminished when I saw his face earlier," Zeki continued, I turned to look at him smiling at me
"You did it intentionally? Once," I said, releasing my arms at Haruki, I put my legs together to walk up to one of the boats and sit in it.
"Are you angry?"
"I don't know" I said, replying to the words of Zeki who had stood beside me.
"You looked so cute earlier, it really made me not want to let you go, Darling," she whispered as she lowered her head and brought her face closer to me.